Determinants of Public Acceptance of Testing and COVID-19 Vaccines in Cameroon: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 disease still remains a nightmare in Cameroon. With the current vaccines present for its management, public acceptance of the vaccine is very significant. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 testing and vaccine acceptance by the public is thus vital. This study aimed at exploring the determinants of acceptance of COVID-19 testing and vaccine by the population of Cameroon. Methods: The study involved a three-month (September-December 2021) cross-sectional online survey, done with the use of a well-structured questionnaire administered through emails, WhatsApp and Facebook among the general population of Cameroon. The questionnaire focused mainly on determinants of COVID-19 disease testing and vaccine acceptance. A multivariate logistic regression model was incorporated to establish the determinant factors. Odds ratio with 95% CI was calculated to evaluate the strength and significance of these association. Results: The study involved 1,750 participants spread amongst different sociodemographic groups. Using the multivariate logistic regression analysis, strong associations with vaccine acceptance were; high knowledge of COVID-19 infection (aOR=2.54, 95% CI: 2.16-2.99), high knowledge of COVID-19 vaccine (aOR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.75-4.18), and perception of vaccine benefit (aOR=1.91, 95%CI: 1.07-3.42). Trust in the government also significantly positively affected vaccine acceptance. Respondents high in government trust had higher percentage points acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine compared with those having low level of trust (aOR=2.68, 95% CI: 1.72-4.18). Conclusions: The low acceptance level of COVID-19 vaccine in Cameroon is driven by multiple factors. Findings from this study might help guide future efforts for policy makers and stakeholders to improve the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Cameroon.